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How British Passport is changing from March 2020? (Old topic)

In the News

The first blue British passports for nearly 30 years will be issued next month, the Home Office has said.

The current burgundy design is being replaced, following the UK's departure from the European Union.

Blue passports were introduced in 1921 and phased out after 1988 when members of the then European Economic Community agreed to harmonise designs.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51585018

Well.... They used to be blue with a hard cover, I still have a couple of old ones from yesteryear. How about you?

tumblespots
over a year ago
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Ceebers

My first passport was blue. Then they have been red. I am hoping for a blue one when I renew next month.

Xx

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tumblespots

I do prefer the blue ones and have two old hard-backed blues in my files. I think our current red will last until renewal next year (I hope it's next year anyway as it is so expensive). ๐Ÿž

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Ceebers

tumblespots Yes I think I shall be paying ยฃ75 at my Post Office. They take the photo and give you a code to apply online. Saves a few pounds anyway. Xx

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ACR

I need to renew my passport, but I'm going to wait a couple of months to avoid any potential teething problems at the Passport Office during the transition. I prefer the burgundy over the blue, but given it sits in a drawer most of the year it doesn't really matter what colour they use.

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Ann1984

I hope they donโ€™t have a back log we plan on travelling into Europe in July and 2 kids passports have less the 3 months. or 2 are staying at grannyโ€™s house if donโ€™t come back in time ๐Ÿ˜‚๐Ÿคซ

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tumblespots

Good point, there are always teething problems, they could come back purple for a while! ๐Ÿž

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tumblespots

Ann1984 Even at their worst if you apply soon they should be back well in time. ๐Ÿž

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KirsteyJames

I was born in 1987 so never saw the blue passports. We only renewed ours last year so we wont be having them for a while. The kids will have them before us anyway as their passports only last 5 years.

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tumblespots

It is only us fogies who remember them (and have the old ones stashed away for posterity - they had a hard cover too). It is so nice of the government to allow us to pay more often to replace children's passports although their appearance changes as they grow so I suppose it is understandable. ๐Ÿž

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KirsteyJames

tumblespots yeah you think they would be half the price considering they last only half the time ๐Ÿคฃ my daughter was 1 when we did hers last year though so doubt the photo will look like her when she is 6 let alone 11 ๐Ÿ™Š

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tumblespots

KirsteyJames That's exactly it, but adults can change themselves too these days. I'm not a personal fan of surgical beauty treatments but others do use them and the effect can cause quite dramatic changes, how do you explain that at the check-in desk? ๐Ÿž

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davidstockport

The "Iconic" Blue UK passport is made by a French - Dutch company and printed in Poland.

I don't know about "Iconic" it seems very "Ironic" to me,โ˜บ

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/02/22/uk/brexit-blue-passports-gbr-scli-intl/index.html

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tumblespots

That doesn't surprise me in the least, in fact I do recall something in the paper when the changes were proposed. Do we make anything here anymore? ๐Ÿž

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kikogpe
Mentor

Many of the products we use daily are made in China, the effects of globalization and the lowest possible cost.

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tumblespots

kikogpe We could be left high and dry if we upset the rest of the world. We can't feed ourselves and import far to much in the way of other products. We used to manufacture so much years ago... ๐Ÿž

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kikogpe
Mentor

tumblespots I think this is the current situation in the whole West. The entire industry was transferred to Asia for cost reasons. It is a very complex situation, which on the one hand implies the loss of industry and jobs, and on the other hand the cost of the products we pay, which are now much cheaper than if produced in the West.

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tumblespots

kikogpe It's a tough world out there. What you gain on one side you lose out on on the other. I think overall we would be better off if we could support ourselves as a country?! Less reliance on outside forces, but, short term, not everyone can afford this option. Long term - can you afford not to? ๐Ÿž

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SilverSurfer

I could not care what colour my passport is. As long as i can travel with it i dont care.

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hspexy

I donโ€™t care about the colour, as long as it works. My first passport was blu. I prefer the burgundy but if itโ€™s back to blue, then itโ€™s back to blue

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tumblespots

Yes, they won't change it whether we like it or not. It is what it is ๐Ÿž

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davidstockport

I also prefer the burgundy and also the soft back cover, they fit in a shirt pocket better,

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hspexy

davidstockport mine fit perfectly in my back jeans pockets ๐Ÿ˜Š

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davidstockport

hspexy So presumably you agree that the softer plastic cover is preferable to the hard cardboard oneโ˜บ

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davidstockport

Strange thing is everyone seems to refer to the pre-burgundy passports as BLUE I checked one issued in 1988 and describing it as BLACK would be better. I can't see a hint of blue in its colour. (Not even navy blue)

I've JUST found this: "Elsewhere on the gov.uk website, users are advised to โ€œfollow the process for getting a first adult passport if the last passport you had was an old black or blue passportโ€.

From:https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/jan/03/black-or-blue-confusion-grows-over-traditional-british-passport-colour

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tumblespots

Interesting ๐Ÿž

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davidstockport

tumblespots Especially interesting as they'd previously said "โ€œSince its introduction in 1921, there have been a few variants of that navy blue colour but it has never been black, as some commentators have suggested.โ€

Those I have had (and the one I checked) prior to the burgundy one had ALL BEEN BLACK.

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HollyDolly22

Oh man I'm not die to renew for a while. Does this mean I need to renew sooner?

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tumblespots

I don't believe that you have to renew until you would usually do so as I believe that all existing passports are still valid. ๐Ÿž

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davidstockport

tumblespots That's correct... which reminds me my own passport expires this year, it might interest some who don't know that passports can renewed up to nine months before expiry without losing any time remaining on the old one. It's added to the new one - so theoretically you could get a passport for 10 years and nine months.

(Just checked and it's actually next year mine expires, but by the weirdest of coincidences the shirt I'm wearing today, which I'd not worn for some time. is the very same shirt I'm wearing on my 2000 passport photo - they don't make shirts to last that long nowadays)โ˜บ

That shirt incidentally is almost the same colour as the old passport - I suppose I'll need to buy a new shirt If I want it to match my next passport.

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tumblespots

davidstockport I was looking at a couple of old photos the other day and was wearing the same top that I wore in the photo too, spooky! And my passport needs to be renewed next year (I hope, I'm sure I remember it was May '21?!) ๐Ÿž

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lilyflower

davidstockport You no longer get the 'unspent' months added to your new passport. If you apply 6 months before expiry you now lose the 6 months. Eg Passport expires 31 July 2021 but you apply 1 April 2021 new Passport would run 01/04/2021 - 01/04/2031 and not 31/07/2031. It's all to do with Brexit. You must also have at least 6 months on your Passport on your return date to enable travel.

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davidstockport

lilyflower I must brush up on the newest regulations. (above posting was from over a year ago) It does seem unfair that if a person needs to renew perhaps over six months in advance to ensure they have six months remaining on return that they should lose out.

My own passport expires July 21 so is virtually worthless now, I suppose if I want another one it will be best to wait until just before I actually need one.

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lilyflower

davidstockport I would say that's the best option, especially given the travel situation at the moment, then you don't lose months. I realised the topic is over a year old, there's been a lot of changes in last 12-18 months, including colour and wording.

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davidstockport

lilyflower They certainly have changed and it's very likely many people will be caught out by the changes. Some might think they've got perhaps ten months left, not realising that some of those months (if the passport contains several months added because they obtained it before expiration of the previous one) is not sufficient. Safest way IMO is to add ten years to the starting date to find the expiration date. Then make sure it's valid for another six months to return date.

My own passport actually runs from July 2011 to July 2021, because I had deliberately let the previous one expire in October 2010. (not expecting to need one for some time).

Major problem for some will be that there is no actual check until turning up with an unusable (but apparently valid) passport at airport etc. on "what would have been" day of departure.

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lilyflower

davidstockport There are an awful lot refused travel at airport and a lot are children because mum and dad hadn't realised they only had 5 year passports, and children cannot have a same day service. My own has extra months therefore 'technically' invalid because it is more than a 10 year passport, but still acceptable for travel, but I suspect will expire before I get the opportunity to do so.

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davidstockport

lilyflower Just realised my expiring passport has never been used for travel, I took it out "just in case" I needed one in a hurry. The one before it 2000 - 2010 was only used once. Handy to have one for identification though.

It must be devastating for people finding out they can't travel when they should be going on holiday.

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lilyflower

davidstockport Yep, tears and tantrums, never their fault and they can't see any reason not to have a new one just handed over.

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JessHindle

Just got my passport very different from my red one. But the colour is not important to me anyways๐Ÿ˜€

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Golfforall

Got mine last month , correct that you no longer get the unspent months . Old one expired in March , the new one runs from January .

Thought I'd do it while there isn't much demand and only took about 10 days (including 3 days of me trying to do an acceptable "selfie" ) . Very simple online (if you know how to take a "selfie" which I don't !) .

Very much doubt if I'll be using it this year , but I expect them to take weeks once travel restarts and everyone realises that their passport is out of date !

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Imnotcheap

My first one was red must have just changed think I got it in 89

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julie781x

I remember the black one. My children were also on my passport.

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davidstockport

Some might not have noticed that this topic is over a year old (in February 2021), if tumblespots sees this could the year "2020" be added to the date in title. It might prevent a lot of confusion. (Many seeing it are obviously not realising it is a "resurrected" topic).

ADDED BY EDIT (a few hours later) : Thanks and also adding " (old topic) " was helpful too.

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